


Learn to Trust

by Dumb-Birdd (saltybird)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids have been destroyed, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Half-Siblings, Eventual Romance, Gavin Reed angst, M/M, Multi, Murder, Post Bad ending, Suicide & suicide glorification, drug use & addiction, past child grooming/sexual abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 20:31:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20377672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltybird/pseuds/Dumb-Birdd
Summary: Hello!!! Uh, I'm not really sure what I'm doing anymore. I had originally planned to finish this entire fic before posting anything about it, but I'm not really sure what I want with this anymore(and I like to jump the gun) so I'm just gonna go ahead and post as I write- just like in the good ol days.In fair warning, this fic WILL & DOES contain descriptions of Death, Suicide, Violence, Racism/hate crimes, Drug use, Mental illness, Child neglect, grooming, and sexual abuse. :( It isn't exactly a happy fic by any means, and your dear boy Gavin Reed, unfortunately, will be the one to(or has already) experience most of these things.





	Learn to Trust

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!! Uh, I'm not really sure what I'm doing anymore. I had originally planned to finish this entire fic before posting anything about it, but I'm not really sure what I want with this anymore(and I like to jump the gun) so I'm just gonna go ahead and post as I write- just like in the good ol days. 
> 
> In fair warning, this fic WILL & DOES contain descriptions of Death, Suicide, Violence, Racism/hate crimes, Drug use, Mental illness, Child neglect, grooming, and sexual abuse. :( It isn't exactly a happy fic by any means, and your dear boy Gavin Reed, unfortunately, will be the one to(or has already) experience most of these things.

It was fucking  _ cold _ . 27 degrees and gradually dropping as the sun faded away behind the line of buildings behind him. Gavin puffed smoke into the cold air and leaned his elbows against the railing, peering out at the water that lay between one country to another. Surely life over there wasn't as fucked up as it was over here, with Detroit still cleaning up after the mess of a failed "revolution". Things were a complete mess. People were still outcrying over the whole ‘genocide’ of Androids thing; and on top of that, people were killing each other over the last remaining supply of  _ Thirium _ on the streets. Gavin was sure it was  _ mostly _ people doing the killing over this, as the production and trade of Red Ice was still largely a problem here. And even with supplies used to make it becoming increasingly harder to find, people were still undoubtedly hooked on that shit. It made business good for those that could still make and sell it off, at least for the time being.

Gavin took another drag of his cigarette and squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment, letting the cold air that came off the water waft over him. He shouldn’t even be  _ thinking _ of Red Ice, but it seemed no matter how far back of a step he could take from it himself, something always brought it back to his mind and made him  _ itch _ for it. He was supposed to be over it- he _ was _ over it. He was over the drugs the android shit. It was all no more. Life was only supposed to be getting better from here on out but his mind kept circling back to the hazy events that took place a few months ago when he was caught by his five-year boyfriend getting high off red ice. He might’ve been high, but he remembered the heartbreak that came after it... After that one good and consistent thing in his life called it quits between them. Gavin had to admit, he knew he had it coming. He should’ve known better than to give in to temptation and get hooked on that shit…  _ Of course _ he was going to get caught, and of course his partner wasn’t going to put up with yet  _ another bad thing _ about Gavin Reed...

His head swayed involuntarily and he only just realized that he had been holding his breath far longer than necessary. He exhaled and coughed out the grey ash-colored puff of smoke.

_ Fuck.  _ Maybe he should try to drop this habit too, but right now it was the only thing keeping him from picking back up his  _ other _ habit…

_ Don’t think about it… You  _ ** _don’t _ ** _ need it. _ He repeated to himself over and over in his head. “Think of what that shit ended for you, dumbass…” Gavin muttered to himself. He flicked his cigarette butt out into the water and scrubbed his cold face into his equally cold hands. He should’ve grabbed a pair of gloves and his scarf before dipping out of the station, but it was a little late for that now and he wasn’t going back today. He wanted to go home.

A text message pinged on his phone. He scrunched his nose and dug his phone out of his pocket to look at it.

-

Tina[Sent 01/04/2039 7:56:34pm]: Hey. Where did you go? 

Tina[Sent 01/04/2039 7:57:21pm]: You really shouldn’t run out on us during a meeting. Know things are kind of shitty right now but we need you. So don’t go off and do anything stupid…

-

Gavin rolled his eyes absently at the messages. He loved Tina. She was a good friend, maybe the only one he had left. And lord knows she was the MVP after Trevor had told her about catching him on red ice. She was the one that helped him get clean and begged Trevor not to tell  _ anyone  _ else so that Gavin wouldn’t lose his job. He was thankful that she was there for him, even if he didn’t always show his appreciation...

He tapped the side of his phone thinkingly and walked slowly along the riverwalk while thinking of a response.

Me[Sent 01/04/2039 8:06:45pm]: Needed a breather. Going home for the night, ok?

_ Ping _ . 

Tina[Sent 01/04/2039 8:07:35pm]: Meet me at Tommy’s in 10.

Tina[Sent 01/04/2039 8:08:01pm]: Please and thank :beaming face:

Guess he wasn’t going home after all… Walking, it took him about 17 minutes to get there. He was surprised that she wasn’t blowing his phone up before he could get there, but she was already sitting at a table when he walked in, scrolling through the newsfeed on her phone. She was still in uniform, but none of the other patrons seemed to mind the presence of a police officer. Maybe that was because both he and Tina frequented the bar pretty often after work most weeks. She had a half-full glass in front of her. It looked like gin and tonic, her typical choice of poison, with crystal clear ice cubes and not one, but two slices of lime; just the way Tina liked it.

The bench creaked when he sat down across the table from her and she looked up 

“Hey. I was about to text you again and ask if you were going to leave me hanging,”

He shook his head and relaxed into the seat. It was much warmer in here than it was outside. His face finally felt like it could move. “No, I was at the riverwalk. No point in taking a cab from there to here.”

She nodded her head and set her phone face down on the table, and leaned forward on her folded arms. “So you want to talk? Maybe I’m just too much of a concerned friend but I get the feeling you’re trying to distance yourself from everyone lately...” 

Gavin shook his head. “I’m not. If you haven’t noticed, I just don’t have the best relationship with our coworkers.” He said. He reached over and slid her glass towards himself, picking it up and taking a sip. Tina didn’t mind the sip he had taken from her drink, but she had a concerned look in her brow. 

“No, I know. They all think you’re a douchebag. Well, you  _ are _ a douchebag, but lately you’ve been…” She trailed off and chewed on her pink lips before she simply shrugged. “A quiet, to yourself douchebag? I dunno, Gavin. I’m just concerned for you, that’s all.” She took the glass back from him and down what was left in it. She flagged the bartender for another one and something for Gavin.

Gavin didn’t really feel like drinking, but he’d sip at something just to calm his budding nerves down. He wanted to avoid telling her what had been on his mind if he could. “Thanks for the concern, T… But nothing’s changed. Maybe I just have the  _ winter blues. _ ” He didn’t look at her when he spoke. Maybe if he didn’t, she wouldn’t see that he was lying; but this was  _ Tina-- _ a police officer that was well on her way to becoming an honored Detective- and one of the few people that knew him  _ personally  _ longer than a year. 

“Winter blues got you thinking about some stuff or what?” She drummed her fingers against the glossy wooden tabletop. “Gavin, I know what shit you’ve been through… Why don’t you talk to me when you need someone to lean on? It’s not like I’m going to judge you any further than I already have,” She said earnestly. She perked up slightly when the bartender came around and ordered their drinks. She got another gin and tonic and Gavin got whiskey, neat. “You do know that, don’t you?” She asked, her attention back on him after the bartender skirted back to the bar to get their drinks.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m well aware that you might be the only person on the planet that cares for me… Or so you say--”   
  


“Shuuut uuup…” She groaned and rolled her eyes playfully. “Don’t make me remind you of everything I’ve done for you, Reed. Of course at this point I’m the  _ only _ person on this planet that cares for you.”

He laughed. “And still, those words kinda feel like a punch to the gut... “ 

The bartender came back and set their drinks down in front of them. “Enjoy.” the brunette said with a light touch to Tina’s shoulder before walking away again. Gavin noticed the look and touch the bartender had given her, but he didn’t say anything about it, and neither did Tina.

“Thanks,” Tina and Gavin said simultaneously. Tina’s was more sincere than his was, but hey, at least he said it.

Tina gave him a meek smile. “...thinking about Trevor, huh?”

He shrugged and picked up his glass, swishing the amber liquid around in the glass. Maybe he should just tell her anyway… He trusted her and she kept him line… “Kinda…” He muttered. “If I’m being honest, I was thinking more about going on a binge…” He said with a sigh into the glass. He took a sip, letting the alcohol sit on his tongue for a long moment.

The meek smile on Tina’s face turned into a frown. “Oh…” was all she got out at first.

Gavin swallowed and enjoyed the warmth it gave him in the pit of his stomach. He and Tina simply stared at each other for a moment longer before she finally said something else.

“Okay, I know this usually doesn’t help to say, but  _ please _ don’t do that, Gav…” She reached across the table and touched his arm. “You don’t need to go down that road again…”

He looked at the hand touching his arm and crinkled his nose. “You’re the only reason that I’m not gonna go down that road again.” He said earnestly. Truly, if he couldn’t promise himself that he wasn’t going to use again, he could at least promise Tina. She had sacrificed a lot of her own time and patience to get him out of that hell and safely back on his feet. He wouldn’t just throw away her efforts like that, even if the urge to use was overwhelming, he would just try and think of how he would only be wasting his only friend’s time and effort on himself again… Gavin  _ was _ a selfish bastard, but he did care about Tina. She was persistent in caring for him and treating him like he was as human as everyone else…  _ Well _ , she had treated Androids the same way, treated them as if they were human, as if they were  _ equals _ … but that was the humanitarian in her, to treat those around her with the same respect and equality that she asked for herself.

She squeezed his arm gently and her face softened with a teary-eyed smile. "Aw, Gav… I wish you would let me hug you.” She cooed and poked her bottom lip out in a small pout. 

“Maybe some other time, T… Just keep me distracted, will you?..”

“Right! Of course,” She chirped, blotting the tears from her eyes on the back of her hand.

“So what’s got you drinking today?” he asked.

Her face suddenly blanched and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, taking another sip of her gin and tonic. “Oh, right, you skipped out on the meeting we had today… They found Hank dead in his home this afternoon…” 

Gavin felt his eyes widen, though he honestly couldn’t say he was too surprised by that news, not after knowing Hank for as long as he did. The old bastard had turned in his badge and retired after the Android’s lost their civil war and Connor had been decommissioned and destroyed after terminating the deviant leader, Markus. “You fucking serious?”

Tina frowned and nodded her head. “Yes… I know you didn’t really get along with him, all things considered...” her frown deepened and she took a sip of her drink before shaking her head. “But I thought you should know at least…” 

Gavin felt a slight frown tug at his own lips. He had never gotten along with Hank, especially after he had gotten into red ice himself. He always felt like Hank knew about his dirty little habit, and he was afraid that Hank would have told Fowler about it. But still, the longer he sat with the knowledge of Hank’s passing, the worse he started to feel. He took another swig of his whiskey and let it sit in his mouth a second before swallowing and asking sheepishly, “What happened?” 

“He shot himself… You know he was depressed after what happened to Connor…It must’ve been like losing a second son, y’know? and I think he was depressed over  _ everything  _ that had happened, to be honest. What happened to the androids was…  _ Scary _ … That we would just  _ kill _ people like that--”

“They weren’t people, they weren’t human.” Gavin shook his head and finished the rest of his whiskey. He still disagreed that Androids were ever sentient beings, yet, everyone else around him still insisted that they were and that what happened after the Hart Plaza incident was a straight up genocide. 

Tina frowned yet again. “How can you still say that?”

“They were made to look and act human, but it doesn’t  _ make _ them human. They were just machines, and that’s all they were ever going to be. I don’t know why that’s so difficult to grasp,”

“Maybe because that’s not entirely true,” Tina said with a loud sigh. “Hank even told us that Elijah Kamski told Connor himself that he had a way out of his programming or whatever--”

Gavin rolled his eyes and sneered at the name. “And Elijah is a fucking liar and shit starter. I wouldn’t believe anything out of that man’s mouth.”

Tina scoffed. “Oooh, like you know Elijah fucking Kamski?”

Gavin bit his tongue and chewed down any response he might have had. That was one of the very few things Tina didn’t know about him-- shit-- actually,  _ no one _ knew that he and Elijah were half-brothers. And he was going to keep it that way for as long as he fuckin’ lived. Elijah better have, too. He certainly wouldn’t have been happy if Elijah had decided to throw his name out there into wind during an interview or whatever. He doubt Elijah would, doubted Elijah even remembered his name, but the fear of that ever happening to him was still there.

“Why are you making that face?” Tina asked. 

“Nothing. Whatever. Just keep preachin’ if it makes you happy. It doesn’t make a difference to me anyway, they’re all eradicated now.” He started up. “I’m going home, I don’t feel like talking about this stupid android shit-”

Tina grabbed his arm. “Wait, Gav… Um, there’s something else you missed in the meeting today,” She sighed regretfully. “Cyberlife is re-issuing the RK police androids to help with certain investigations…”

“ _ What the _ ** _ fuck_ ** _ ? _ ” He spit. “Are you fucking serious? I thought they had made all Androids illegal, and now they’re putting them back into police departments?”

“Cyberlife’s statement was that Connor was a success and that they took the necessary precautions for the new prototype androids being released... They’ll be used to track any remaining deviants in their assigned areas, and to aid hard cases that may lack evidence.”

“Of fucking course-- of  _ course. _ ” Gavin swore, shaking his head in disgust. “They’re making a fucking mistake. No one is going to be happy about this once this gets out, you know that.”

Tina let go of his arm and stood up. “I don’t know, Gavin… I guess we’ll see what happens from here… I don’t think the public will like it, that’s one thing I know for sure, but it isn’t up to us… I think we just have to roll with it.” 

“ _ Roll with it _ my ass… People are going to flip their shit and attack  _ us _ for having Androids as ‘slaves’.” He grumbled, digging for his wallet and slapping money on the table. 

She put money on the table for her own drinks and she followed him out of the door. “You done mumbling to yourself over there? Mind if I walk with you?” she asked.

Gavin shrugged and raked his hands through his hair. “Yeah, yeah… I’m fuckin’ done… We live in the same complex, Tina, I wasn’t going to say anything if you followed me.” He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them from the cold. The sun had completely set and now it was dark and  _ much _ colder out. Luckily the walk home wasn’t too long.

Tina linked her arm around his and they walked side by side. It helped keep them a little warmer, but Gavin was hardly in the mood to be this close with anybody right now.

“You mad now or something, Gav?”

Gavin shook his head. He wasn’t mad, he just didn’t feel like talking anymore. There was still too much buzzing around in his head, and the only way he could think of to quiet it down was not an option for him anymore. He  _ promised. _ “No. I just really want to go home. There’s been a lot to process today.”

She nodded. “Er… Well, would you like some more things to process then?”

Gavin glanced at her and made a face. They stopped walking. He prayed it wouldn’t have been anything worse than all the other news he had been given today, but his world was wicked and unfair in more ways than one. “Now what?”

“I talked to Trevor yesterday…” 

Gavin grimaced at the name.  _ That one hurt _ . It almost hurt more than everything else in all honesty, but he was going to swallow that pain down and pretend it was never there. “And?” He said, keeping his side of the conversation short. He picked his feet up again and kept walking. Tina followed him to keep their arms linked together, but he had begun to tug her along rather than keep pace with her.

“He wanted to know how you were doing…”

“Aaand?” He drawled as unenthusiastically as he could sound. He  _ was  _ unenthusiastic about this conversation. He already had too much on his mind to be thinking about his ex that left him when he needed that MFer the most.  _ Who does that? _ Abandon the person you know needs you now more than ever… He could have gotten through it with both he  _ and _ Tina...

Tina shrugged her shoulder against his. “I thought maybe it was a good thing he had asked about you… Means he still cares,”

Gavin felt a lump in his throat grow. He chewed at his tongued and kept his eyes forward. “Don’t you think if he cared, he would have been the one to stay and help me? He didn’t fucking care about me anymore. He used the drugs as an excuse out.” He stated frankly and he took his arm from hers and stepped away. “I’m not in the damn mood for this right now. Goodnight, Tina…”

“Gav!” Tina protested.

“Not in the mood for this! Seriously.” He said finally. Even as he walked ahead, she wasn’t far behind, but she stayed quiet. Tina had finally gotten the hint that he didn’t want to talk anymore and they went their separate ways once they reached their complex, even took separate elevators to get to their floors. Gavin lived on the 11th floor, and Tina was on the 5th. He ambled to his room, reaching for his keys in his pocket and searching for it, and searching for it, and searching for it…. What the fuck? Oh  _ fuck…  _ What did he do with his keys? He patted his entire jacket down and his jean pockets. “ _ Shit _ .” He cursed. He couldn’t even remember the last place he had his keys-- surely he hadn’t dropped them, he would have heard the clatter of five plastic keychains and several keys hitting the ground. He sucked in a breath and took his phone out.

Me[Sent 01/04/2039 9:58:41pm]: Hey did you see me with my keys at the bar or not?

He wondered for a minute if she would even answer him or not, but she did.

Tina[Sent 01/04/2039 10:00:10pm]: No… You locked out?

He rubbed at his mouth and sighed into his hand.  _ Great.  _ He wasn’t about to tell her he lost them- that would only prompt her to say he could stay at her place- and god he wanted nothing more than to be left alone right now- well,  _ minus  _ the company from his furry companions...

Me[Sent 01/04/2039 10:01:25pm]: Nah, nvm. Thanks.

He ignored the next message that pinged his phone and put it back in his pocket, feeling around in there again as if maybe his heap of keys had magically appeared in his pocket, even after having checked once already. But of course, nothing had turned up except a gum wrapper and some pocket lint.  _ Shit shit shit shit…  _ If only his two stupid cats could open the goddamn door, but even together they only had one collective brain cell... at least Gavin swore that was the case for Cheddar and Darth Vader, Vader for short. 

He heard claws pawing at the door and a muffled meow from the other side of the door. He sighed at it. “I’m locked out you fuckin’ idiot… Learn to open the door and you won’t have to cry for me.” He muttered to his furry friend on the other side; most likely Cheddar, the needy bastard. He hoped his fucking keys were on his desk at work, at least, because there was no finding them if he had left them anywhere else.

He severely wished he could have at least been able to grab another jacket or a scarf or  _ something _ warm from his apartment before heading back out into the frigid cold, but instead, the universe kept spitting in his face and grinding its heel down on him, one stupid way or another... But after another 20 or so minute walk through the cold and dim-lit streets and he made it back to the DPD. The tall blonde human receptionist that replaced their android receptionists waved at him. She was nice, he guessed, but at least the android receptionist never tried to engage in small talk with him... 

“Good evening Gavin. What are you in here this late for?” The blonde asked with a hopeful look on her face. She didn’t  _ know _ him yet, obviously. She would soon, though.

“Bidness… Mind ya own.” He said dismissively and walked right past her once she rolled her eyes and buzzed him in through the gate. He strolled right in through the door before pausing abruptly in place. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hank’s old desk, already filled with little trinkets and cards, flameless candles and flowers too.  _ A memorial…  _ It must’ve only been a few hours since the news of Hank’s passing, but still, everyone at the DPD had worked quickly to honor their colleague and a  _ hero _ . He took a few steps in and glanced at his desk for his keys. Sure enough, they were sitting there on the end. He snatched them up and stuffed them in his pocket before walking over to Hanks old desk. He looked over the cards, all written with his coworkers’ grief with the loss of a friend, and for those that hadn’t known Hank, the loss of a local hero… Gavin thought Hank lost that ‘hero’ card after he retired, but apparently more people had admired what Hank had done in the past more than he realized… There was a fluffy plush brown and white saint bernard on the desk too, with a yellow bow around its neck and a folded piece of paper under its paw. He vaguely wondered what happened to Hank’s dog when he looked at the plush animal, but he maybe he didn’t want to know. He touched the paper with his index finger and slid it out from underneath the stuffed dog’s paw to read. He didn’t know what possessed him to want to take his time to read this kind of crap, until he read a little farther into the hasty scrawl on the paper.

  
  


There were tear stains on the paper, smudging some of the letters of the familiar wispy handwriting. This was a  _ very _ personal letter from Fowler. Suddenly Gavin felt like he understood Fowler a little more, and the curious way he always covered for Hank, despite how Hank had disappointed him many times. Gavin heard a door open behind him and he turned to see Fowler walking out of his office with a big saint bernard dog at his heel. It was Hank’s dog, Sumo. There were died dark red stains on the dog’s muzzle and on the side of its face.

The image that came to Gavin’s mind briefly with the sight wasn’t a happy one in the slightest, and Gavin felt himself swallow shallowly.

Fowler looked up at him, his eyes were puffy and noticeably wet, but Gavin didn’t comment on it or the dog. He didn’t comment on the letter he just read either, instead, he simply placed it back down where he had picked it up from.

“Gavin? What are you doing here?”

“Forgot my keys…” He muttered. He looked back at Hanks desk before stepping away. He chewed the inside of his lip. “I’m… I’m sorry about Hank.” He didn’t know what else to say, and maybe it wasn’t the right thing for him to say, but he still felt obliged to say something about Hank to him. Obviously this hurt Fowler more than he originally thought it would have, being that he had only ever known the two for their bickering… Obvious it had been much more than that to Fowler...

Fowler made a face at him and shook his head as he walked down the steps. Sumo had followed him, very slow and lethargically. The dog had looked as depressed as anyone else. “Huh… Didn’t expect to hear that from you, Reed…”

“Yeah, I know...” He rubbed sheepishly at the back of his neck and avoided eye contact with his captain. 

Fowler walked over beside him and picked up a card off the desk, giving it a thoughtful look-over. “You might have been his worst enemy, you know… I mean besides his self…” Fowler made a half-hearted chuckling sound. “But he still respected you… Tried to anyway, but you were dead set on being a bastard to him, weren’t you?”

Gavin scoffed. Of course Fowler would go there, as if he wasn’t already feeling vaguely guilty over recent events. He  _ could _ have been a better person.  _ Should have, _ in many ways, but all of it seemed too late now. “Uh, yeah… I didn’t have the best role-models to teach me how to respect others growing up, I guess, but…” Gavin said and scrunched his nose. Apologizing wasn’t exactly his strong suit. “It’s… not an excuse…”

“Heh…” Fowler grinned and shook his head before he turned and walked away, putting his black coat on. “It’s about time you show something other than contempt for others… I was wondering if you ever had any kind of heart at all, Reed. But I guess it will just take the right time and place for your little bitty black heart to show itself.”

_ Bastard. _ Gavin thought as he watched Fowler’s back until he disappeared from sight. Sumo had followed behind. Gavin let out a drawn sigh, rapping his knuckles against the desk absently.  _ Really… Why was he like this? _

\---

Wednesday morning came early, too early and too cold. He tossed his blanket off and on top of his sleeping cats. Cheddar, his fluffy orange and white cat made a  _ Brrrt _ sound and stretched lazily with a wide yawn, the little bell on his collar jingling as he moved. Vader kept snoozing away, unbothered by the heap of blankets being tossed on top of him.

Gavin quickly got dressed into warmer and more presentable clothes while Cheddar sat on the edge of the bed watching him with golden orbs, patiently waiting for a little attention. “ _ Little creep. _ ” Gavin chuckled to Cheddar and he pet each of the cats on their heads after he finished pulling his shirt down. Cheddar had pressed his head into Gavin’s hand, eating up the affection given to him. Vader just stretched his back legs out while he was curled up and swiped a paw over his own sleeping face. The iconic  _ leave me alone and let me sleep _ response _ . _

“Don’t tear up my fuckin’ apartment, you little shits.” He cooed to them as he bent down to kiss Cheddar on his waiting head. He grabbed his keys and wallet and left out the door.

He met with Tina downstairs in the lobby of their complex before they headed out to the station together.

“What did you do, just roll out fuckin’ bed? I know you’re kind of a trainwreck, but you don’t have to look like one…” Tina told him as she tried flattening his collar with a hot coffee in both of her hands.

He moved away to avoid being burned. “Hey watch it with that fuckin’ hot coffee, T! Shit…” He said as he took one of the cups from her hands and took a sip. He burned the roof of his mouth and his throat and he swore again to himself.

She snickered.“Yeah dumbass, you  _ just  _ said ‘watch it with that fuckin’  ** _hot_ ** coffee’. Honestly, what did you expect?”

“Not to burn the shit out of my mouth,” He blew into the top and sipped at it again. Still boiling hot, but fuck did he need some coffee in his system right away. They followed each other out of the door and walked side by side. He felt much better walking with her this morning. He was less irritable than he was last night after getting some TLC with his cats and some rest. His head was considerably clearer, at least for the time being.

“Cabbin’ it today?” Tina asked.

“Nah. Walked last night from the station, too. Helped clear my head.”

“Yeah, I suppose it did since you’re not high out of your mind right now.” She paused with a sigh, “I  _ was _ concerned about you when you left all of a sudden, but then we got the news about Hank and all that…” She frowned and dropped her hand to her side. Tina typically talked with her hands, so her hand being glued to her side usually meant she was down and out... “I can’t believe Hank’s actually gone, and not just off the force, but actually  _ gone… _ ”

Gavin spared her a glance and frowned briefly. She was in total disbelief… That was understandable, he supposed… Tina admired nearly everyone they worked with(minus a few exceptions). She was the total opposite of Gavin. It was bizarre that they got along as well as they did, but they had gone to the same high-school and entered the academy at the same time, and the universe had just kind of made them gravitate towards one another since then. “You know when they’ll be having a service or whatever?” He made a face at himself after the words had left his mouth.  _ Wow, that the best you got to say?..  _

Tina gave him a look like she was more-so impressed that he would even ask about a service. “Saturday…” She answered simply. “You… You gonna show up?” She asked hesitantly.

Gavin shrugged. “You want me there to hold your hand?”

Tina smiled at him fondly. “Would you?”

Gavin forced himself to smile back at her, though even he knew his eyes gave away how wary he was of his own answer. He was going to completely out of place at Hank’s funeral. Really, he  _ shouldn’t _ go, just in case his presence ruined the service for anyone else… But he’d go for Tina’s sake. She’d understand if he had to leave early. “For you, of course…”

“‘Preciate it, Gav…” She said. “Oh, and I guess I should apologize for last night… Well, you should too, honestly,” She cleared her throat, prompting him to apologize to her at the same time, for whatever fucking reason he needed to be apologizing for; he really couldn’t remember. He had too much on his mind yesterday to remember any small details about what he could’ve done to upset her.

He looked at her and then they both inhaled and exhaled an apologetic ‘sorry’ at the same time.

“ _ Woo…  _ Well, that’s over with… But for real, I really am sorry for  _ stirring that pot  _ again… I mean, Trevor really did ask about you, but I understand how you feel about it I guess... You have the right to feel how you feel.” She said.

Gavin was just going to let that topic drop as smoothly as it could, bringing the subject back around to themselves. He wouldn’t even act like that name caused his heart in his chest to seize up… He grinned half-heartedly and elbowed her as they walked. “Oh, thank you so much for not chastising me over my own feelings anymore, mom. I’m  _ so  _ glad we got that behind us,” he jested. 

Tina grinned back and hummed thoughtfully. “Of course my little pooh-bear, 

Tina and Gavin stepped into the station, showing their badges to yet another human receptionist at the desk. Even after nearly two months, it was still kind of weird not seeing the same Android woman at the desk. This morning it was a young man, someone completely new from the last two months. Well, at least there were jobs now, Gavin thought. Though he was reminded that Androids  _ were _ being put back into the police department soon enough. He wondered how detailed the new Android’s jobs would be, whether it would be just taking in evidence and writing reports or whatever. He walked over to his desk and sat down. His computer screen greeting him with the same case he had looked at before he up and left. It was a homicide. The victim was someone he knew, someone he and his ex knew, and though it had been a few months since he had last seen this guy, Gavin still would have considered him a good friend, but they had gone down the wrong path together and now Jacob was dead. He wondered if Trevor had heard the news about it yet. Maybe that’s why he asked Tina how he was, and for a second maybe Gavin thought it was kind of considerate after all… He looked over at Tina who was over at Willson’s desk. Maybe he should have told her about it or mentioned it...

  
  
  
  
  


" _ Reed. _ Come to my office,” Fowler said with his head poking out of his glass cubicle. 

Gavin grimaced. What the hell could he need this early-- Well, it could be  _ anything _ , truly, but Gavin didn’t think he could ever be prepared for anything this early in the morning. He took a sip of his coffee before setting it down at his desk and getting up to go to Fowler’s office. 

“What’s up, boss? How are you going to ruin my day today?” He meant it jokingly, but Fowler had a look on his face and not one kin to the one he had last night. He was much more hardened and less vulnerable looking today. 

“Just come sit down, will you? And try to be calm and civil about this,”

That made Gavin’s blood run cold.  _ Oh fuck--- fucking hell- what the fuck--  _ He held his breath and bit down on his tongue.  _ Whatever it is, you don’t have to argue.  _ He thought to himself as he sat down.  _ It’s been a shit week for everybody already, don’t make it worse… Don’t. Make. It. Worse.  _

“You don’t have to make that face, Reed, I’m not firing you-”

“Am I going to want to quit, though?”

“Probably so,” Fowler said without missing a beat. He folded his hands in front of himself on top of his desk. “I know you missed nearly all of our meeting yesterday, and you know about Hank already… But there are going to be some changes in our department here…”

_ Oh fuck-- _

“Cyberlife is issuing us a new state-of-the-art RK900 prototype-”

_ Fuck. This. Shit. _ Gavin released his tongue from between his teeth, letting out a groan and rolling his eyes. “Fucking hell…” he didn’t mean to say that out loud, but Fowler was obviously expecting this kind of reaction from him. Who wouldn’t? It’s not like Gavin ever pretended to be pro-android… “Sure- whatever, whatever, but what does this shit have to do with me?”

Fowler brought his meaty hand up to his mouth and rubbed at his chin, looking away from Gavin briefly. “Well, the RK900 is best for detective work and working on active crime scenes. Something you get to do a lot in your position, obviously…”

“Is it taking my fucking job?” Gavin swore, his lip raised in disgust. 

“Not taking it, Gavin... Just  _ assisting you _ . And I need you to be well fucking behaved with it. I know you didn’t have a change of heart like everyone else after that fucking massacre out there--”

“You gotta be fucking shitting me.”

“But this keeps us above the sick games people play out there. This will  _ help _ you lock away the scumbags that you hate so much--”

“Yeeesss, like I  _ don’t  _ hate the androids that take our fucking jobs-”

“Oh pipe down, Reed. It isn’t taking your fuckin’ job. It will just be working  _ with _ you. It’s not like I’m asking you to take it out on a fucking date. Cyberlife has updated its programming that actively monitors deviancy in these models, unlike the other Androids, this one will have-- it will have no chance to become deviant or turn against you or any of us. It will help you with your cases, no questions asked, and you will be helping it track the last remaining deviants in the city...” Fowler said with a sigh. He rubbed at his eyes. “This wasn’t my choice. They’re being given through-out the country to finish ‘cleaning up’ the rest of the deviant issues--”

Gavin glared at him with a scowl on his face. He had stopped listening halfway through. Not only were Androids coming back to the department, but now he had to  _ work _ with one… He thought of every swear he fucking knew, but still it wasn’t enough to convey how he felt.

“Reed, are you even listening to me?” Fowler asked, snapping his fingers in front of his face to regroup his attention. Gavin swatted the hand away. He probably shouldn’t have done that to his captain, but too late now. Fowler didn’t reprimand him for it anyway. 

“I’m  _ listening… _ ” Gavin said begrudgingly. 

Fowler continued. “These androids are supposed to be very low-key-  _ we’re _ supposed to keep low-key about this android business, at least until Cyberlife makes an announcement about them themselves. ”

Gavin raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“Our government would prefer that the public didn’t know about the re-introduction of Androids into our police forces… I’m sure that the public will find out anyway, but we are not to make any statements about them ourselves, and they are to stick with our personnel at all times during investigations.”

“Fucking great…” Gavin rolled his eyes a second time. “And when does this start?”

Fowler drummed his fingers on his desk. “Today. Your Android partner is currently in the interrogation room.”

“Just motherfuckin’ wonderful…” Gavin scoffed, shaking his head. “Am I the only one with one of these new plastic pricks?”

Fowler nodded his head. “Yes…” He made a slight face before adding, “You were the chosen detective for it because of your opinion and attitude towards Androids. Cyberlife  _ chose _ you to be its partner and partial ‘owner’, if you will, because they think it’s less likely to deviate if it isn’t around someone who can view it as a human, as an equal.”

Gavin grimaced.  _ Go figure. _ Just because of that it would probably turn terminator on his ass. He stood up. “Is that all, Captain?” he tried to keep the resentful tone out of his voice, but it didn’t work.

“Yes… Now, I know you want to get back to work, but I’d appreciate it if you would go get it from the interrogation room and let it help you get started on your current cases.”

Gavin gave him a half-assed salute and walked out of the office, letting the glass door slam shut behind him. Everyone had glanced up at him. They must’ve all known he’d be the unlucky motherfucker to get stuck with a plastic prick, but knowing all their pro-android asses, they were probably jealous…  _ Whatever. Buncha freaks. _ He walked back to his desk and sat down. He wasn’t even going to bother letting that stupid thing out of the interrogation room. He just wanted to do his job without any annoying distractions, but when he glanced up at Fowler’s glass castle he could see Fowler staring at him disdainfully for not having followed his orders. 

Tina walked up behind him and put a hand on the back of his chair, she peeked over his shoulder. “Sooo… I’m guessing you get the android partner, huh?”

“Yeah, lucky fucking me.” He grabbed his coffee mug- which was now far cooler than he liked it- and took a sip of it. He made a face, both because of the cool coffee and the thought of working with an android.

“Aw… Maybe it won’t be too bad, Gav… It’s not like it will deviate and kill you for being a douche…” She pat his shoulder gingerly and walked away, surely with a grin on her face.

“Thanks for the reassurance, T…” Gavin mumbled after her. He spun around in his chair. He needed to tell her. “Hey wait, Tina,”

She stopped mid-step and turned to look back at him. “What’s up?”

“Did you know a Jacob Fell?”

She shook her head. “No. That was the victim of the homicide case in Woodbridge from yesterday, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. He was a friend of mine and Trevor.”

“Oh--  _ Shit.  _ I’m so sorry Gav,” She pranced back over and bent down to hug him around his shoulders. “ _ That’s _ why you left yesterday…”

He made no move to hug her back, or to lean into her, though he kind of wanted to. Maybe he would have if they weren’t at work. “Yeah…” He leaned away from her and she let go of him with a small frown on her face.

“I had no idea. Should I ask Fowler if someone else should take the case for you?”

He shook his head. “No, I can handle it. I’m just wondering if Trevor knew about it… Maybe he knows something…”

Tina made a face. “I know what you’re thinking, but Gav, is that really how you want to approach him for the first time after the two of you broke up?”

“Seems as good as any other way to approach him...”

She shook her head with a grimace on her face. “I don’t think so, Gav…”

“S’part of the job… Gotta question anyone who might know somethin’. Ex-boyfriend or not.”

He stood up, getting ready to go to the interrogation room to get his plastic pet.

Tina sighed behind him. “I at least want a follow-up,” she said.

“Sure thing, Ms. T.” He waved his hand dismissively behind his shoulder and sauntered to the interrogation room, where supposedly his new plastic-prick of a partner was holed up. He hesitated over the touchpad for a long second before he pressed his hand into it. It opened and he stepped in, stopping just far enough away from the door for it to slide back shut.

_ Jesus Christ… _ He looked over the other being that sat at the table in the room. It looked just like the Connor android did, at least from the looks of it while it had its head down and it’s eyes were closed. It was dressed in a black turtleneck shirt and a white jacket. The jacket had no markings on it to indicate that the wearer was an android, as most previous Androids had worn to be easily identified. The LED on the side of its head was blinking a soft blue color and apart from that, it wasn’t moving at all.

Gavin hesitated again before taking another step. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Hello? You awake in that shell of yours, you plastic dipshit?”  _ Okay-- _ even he knew there wasn’t really a need for the profanity… It wasn’t like Android would care about having its plastic feelings hurt- y’know, because it didn’t have any.

It lifted its head and opened its eyes. They were an icy blue color, the color of arctic ice and just as barren and lifeless looking as the real arctic. He couldn’t remember what color its predecessor had, but they certainly had the same face. It was unnerving to see that face again, especially after having known what happened to Connor. 

Its eyes moved across his face briefly before it spoke. “Detective Reed… Hello. I’m the and--”

Gavin cut it off. “Yeah yeah, the android sent by Cyberlife. You’re here to be my little work bitch, aren’t you?” Gavin snickered despite the unease he felt around the droid. “What’s the name they gave you this time, dipshit?” he asked. He leaned himself against the corner. He wasn’t going to bother going any closer to it. It could probably sense his unease, honestly.

It tilted its head to the side like it was  _ confused _ . “Unlike my predecessors, I wasn’t given a name. Cyberlife believed giving me any sort of identity may trigger an event in my programming that causes deviancy, so they decided it was best to leave me without a name--”

Gavin raised a brow. “So you don’t have a fuckin’ name? What the fuck am I supposed to call you then?”

The Android blinked and it’s LED spun yellow briefly. Gavin wondered what the fuck could possibly be going on in that head of it. Less than a second after that, it responded. “Well… Cyberlife didn’t give me a name, but you could register a name for me to respond to if it makes working with me easier for you. Other than that, you could just refer to me by my model type. I’m an RK900.”

“Uhuh…” Gavin drummed his fingers against his arm and he stared back at the RK900. “Well, since Cyberlife had suggested not to name you, I guess I won’t be doing that either. Unless you count plastic prick as a name.”

The RK900 offered him a smile. It made Gavin’s pulse skyrocket, so much so that he felt it in his throat. 

“It’s simply for easier identification, detective Reed.”

Gavin pushed himself off the wall and dropped his arms to his sides. He willed himself to relax and calm down. The Android wasn’t going to hurt him. It  _ couldn’t _ take his life; not on purpose, and it had no reason to, even if it could  _ want _ things. “Whatever. You’ll know when I’m talkin’ to you… Come on, we have a job to do.” He turned and let himself out of the room, and he heard the Android move behind him, near silently. He glanced beside himself when they were walking out of the hall. It was taller than Connor was from what he could remember, and its build  _ was _ different. Lithe and broad shoulders. It looked like it was built for speed, had it needed to pursue someone or  _ something.  _ Gavin probably couldn’t outrun something like that, but luckily, and maybe surprisingly, he was on the right side of the law and hopefully would never have to run  _ from  _ the Android.

“Might I ask about the first case we’ll be investigating into today?” The Android asked him.

“Nope. You’re just going to keep your mouth shut and follow me, capeesh?” He went for his keys on his desk, but the android unexpectedly grabbed him by his arm. Gavin’s heart and shoulders jumped and he gave the Android a death glare and tried tugging his arm away from the grasp. “What the fu-- Let. Go. Of. Me,”

“I think it would benefit us if you gave me the case file, first, detective…” The android said with a mildly threatening smile, or at least Gavin interpreted it as something threatening, coupled with the fact the Android had only tightened its grip on his wrist. Even the other officers had perked up a bit to see what was going on, or what Gavin would do. Tina gave him a look from across the room, and Gavin backed down, at least partially so. He’d at least keep his voice down so Tina wouldn’t hear what he had to say. 

“_Fine._” Gavin jabbed a finger at the Android’s chest when it relinquished its grasp from his wrist. It didn’t flinch. “But don’t you **_ever_** grab me like that again, or you’ll end up in the fucking junkyard like the rest of your kind did…” He threatened through his teeth. 

The Android seemed completely unfazed by the jab and the threat, and instead the corner of its mouth had quirked up like it was amused by it. “I don’t doubt that, detective Reed… Now, the case?”

Gavin glared at it, unable to take his eyes away. He wasn’t going to let this  _ thing _ intimidate him. It  _ shouldn’t  _ intimidate him. It was plastic. No feelings or wants. It couldn’t harbor any hatred from him even if he insulted it. “The file you want about the case is on my computer. The vics name was Jacob Fell…” Gavin finally snatched his keys off the desk and he stepped away from the bastard Android. “I know a few people who might know something about his murder, so I’m going to question them.”

The Android’s smile had softened briefly before placing a hand to Gavin’s monitor, the skin on its hand removed while it interfaced with the computer and the information it contained. It pulled it’s hand away after a second and its skin returned. “Thank you, detective Reed...  _ Now  _ I’ll follow you.”

Gavin didn’t say anything else as they walked out of the station and headed to his assigned undercover car, a steel grey Dodge Charger, and god bless that it was still one car that  _ wasn’t _ fully automated in their state. He wrenched the driver side door open and slid in, the plastic prick sliding in on his right.

“What are the names of these people we’re going to be questioning?” the Android asked as it pulled the seatbelt over itself. Like an android needed a fucking seatbelt…

Gavin pushed the start engine button and put it in gear, speeding out of the parking lot without further thought. “ _ We’re _ not questioning anyone. You’re going to sit you plastic ass in this car and wait for me to be finished questioning this person, got it? I mean, you should be fucking thrilled. I’m making your life easier by doing your job! That’s how it’s supposed to go, right? Someone or something does your job for you and it just makes life a whole lot easier, doesn’t it?”

The car was quiet for a long minute and even without looking over, he was sure that the Android was staring at him with its cold blue eyes, processing what he had said. Did it really understand everything?

“I’m not sure why you’re so angry over this, Detective. I’m not here to take your job, I’m only here to make it easier and lighten the load. I can obtain and record all kinds of information that your detail and account simply cannot, and you can retrieve all the information I record to watch over and over, just in case you think you might’ve missed any important details…”

“So what, you’re like an over-glorified body cam?” Gavin rolled his eyes. He perched his left arm up against the window and lazily rested his head against the palm of his hand as he drove towards North Corktown and Woodbridge. Trevor’s address was on the 4000th block of Avery Street. He had been to that house countless times in the last 5 years, and not once in the last two months… It made his heart ache thinking about how things could all change and go bad as quickly as they did, but the Android’s voice had pulled him back to the present.

“No, not really. I can read things like temperature, heart rate, perspiration, and breathing rate… All things that could potentially help prove whether or not someone is lying,”

“Yeah yeah, I don’t give a fuck what you can do, honestly…” Gavin murmured. 

“Detective Reed, can I ask you something?”

“I’d really prefer that you didn’t,” Gavin said, but despite his answer, the Android proceeded to ask its question anyway.

“Why do you seem to hate Androids so much? Or is it just me, perhaps?”

_ Me… _ The android using that word struck a weird chord with Gavin, but he ignored it. He scrunched his nose when he made his typical annoyed expression. He had been asked that question many, many times, and he never really had an answer; or at least never a very truthful one. Most people would think it was just him being petty if he told them the truth. And maybe it was petty, but Gavin couldn’t help but to feel bitter whenever he thought about Elijah Kamski, his stupid smart billionaire half-brother. Gavin didn’t even consider him that much, and his feelings towards his half-brother only grew considerably worse after the whole Cyberlife empire that he built himself upon.

“Why the fuck does it matter to you? I thought you didn’t have feelings,”

“I don’t…” The RK900 said simply. “I’m just programmed to observe behavior and ask questions… But I suppose you’d be more comfortable if I didn’t?”

“Mhm,” Gavin hummed. He spared a glance over at the Android. It wasn’t looking at him, it was watching the road with an unreadable expression. “Fowler said that you new Androids are supposed to be kept lowkey in public, so why exactly are you guys still made with those little LED things on your faces? Isn’t that kind of fuckin’ obvious?” he asked.

The Android made a noise similar to a hum. “Good question… I believe Cyberlife and the government thought it was best to try and keep the new line of Androids out of public eye until they are certain that there will be no more deviant problem, but Cyberlife is also required to ensure that the current line Androids are still easily identifiable  _ as Androids _ . Most government personnel are already aware of the new line of Androids working with police, to avoid confusion, but beyond that, there was no requirement for a full public announcement of them. At least not yet… And of course It’s only been about thirty minutes since the release of the first Android back on the field. I’m sure they’ll make a statement soon enough to avoid rumors and concerns…” The RK900 said with a gentle smile on its face. Gavin had only caught a brief glimpse of it, but he saw it nonetheless. He wondered  _ why  _ it had smiled, but he didn’t ponder on it for too long.  _ It doesn’t have feelings... _

They finally pulled up to 4242 Avery Street, and Gavin put the car in park right on the curb, with two wheels in the grass. That always pissed Trevor’s dad off when they would visit on weekends after Trevor had initially moved in with Gavin at his apartment. Trevor’s parents never really cared for Gavin. He bet they were happy when they finally split. “You stay in the car, capeesh?”

The Android glanced at him. “Capeesh.”

Gavin got out of the car and walked around it. He felt hesitant as he walked up the steps, and his throat went dry and numb, but he mustered up enough courage to ring the bell. His hands began to sweat as he waited for the door to be opened. He heard shuffling on the other side of the door before it swung half-way open. An older woman, Trevor’s mother had opened the door. Her salt and mostly peppered hair was pulled back into a ponytail that came to lay on her shoulder, and her old brown beady bird-like eyes narrowed in at him. 

“Gavin?” The woman asked. “What are you doing here?” She glanced over at the car in the yard and made a face before looking back at him.

“Mrs. Hayes, hey. Is Trevor home?” He tried to keep his voice from cracking or sounding small, and the best way to do that was to keep things short. He’d rather keep things short with them anyway.

“No. He should be at the shelter right now. What’s this about?” She folded her arms over her sagging chest. 

He cleared his throat and thought hard to keep  _ uhms _ out of his vocabulary. Usually, he was great at this kind of thing, but he felt he had to try much harder in front of his ex’s mother. “A friend of ours was murdered last night. I just wanted to ask him if he might have known anything about it.”

“Why would  _ Trevor _ know anything about it?” She said with a sneer. 

Gavin resisted the urge to sneer back at her, though he didn’t know why. It’s not like he was dating her son anymore. He  _ could _ be as nasty as he wanted, but he decided it was best not to be, just in case this ever got back around to Trevor… “I don’t know that he does, but it  _ is _ my job to ask anyone who may know anything. You understand that, right?” Gavin retorted with a forced smile. He heard a car door open and close behind him, and soft footsteps approach behind him that trailed through the grass and then to the pavement. 

“Hello, you’re Mrs. Hayes, is that right?” His partner’s annoying voice said from behind him, and his shoulder was brushed as the Android stepped beside him and extended a hand out for hers.

Mrs. Hayes’ face blanched briefly before she took the hand and shook it. She glanced back at Gavin. “I-Is this?.. An android? I thought they were outlawed?”

Gavin glanced at his partner’s face. He was smiling kindly, his light blue eyes watching Mrs. Hayes with great interest. “Uhm,” Gavin started, but the Android had taken it upon itself to answer that question.

“Yes, androids for personal use are, but I am a new prototype made exclusively for detective work alongside officers of the law,”

Gavin elbowed the Android in the side and pulled the Android a step back. “Yeah, pipe down, we don’t need the whole explanation here. I told you to stay in the car,”

“I thought I would introduce myself, and also make sure that you were doing your job here; because with a little browse through your social media accounts, I found out that you were in a long term relationship with Mrs. Hayes’ son-”

Gavin’s face reddened immensely and he elbowed the Android again, this time much harder, though it probably hurt him more than it did the Android, since all it got from the droid was a slight jerk and a hand came up to hold its side, though the smile on its face also faltered. “You-- son of a bitch-” He growled to the Android under his breath. 

Mrs. Hayes looked disappointedly at Gavin and put her hand on her door, ready to close it on them both. “Well, if the two of you are looking for Trevor, I already told you he’s at the shelter today. But I’m telling you, you’re wasting your time. Goodbye, Gavin.” and with that, she shut the door in their faces.

Gavin spun around on the ball of his foot and punched the Android right in the center of its abdomen. It hurt his hand waaay more than he’d show, but at least the Android also went down to its knees from the punch. “What the fuck! I told you to stay in the fucking car! And why are you going through my social media accounts, you fucking plastic creep?!” He snapped. He shook his hand and willed the pain away before stomping back to the car. “You had no right to go through my shit like that!”

“All of that information was public,” The Android said as it got back to its feet. It followed and got into the car after him. “I also know that you knew our victim Jacob Fell rather personally… That would have been good information for me to know as well, Detective…”

Gavin started the engine and speed off the street. He didn’t even wait for the Android to be seated in all the way. “Why the hell does it matter if I knew the vic or not?”

“It may skew how you look into details of the case,”

“Oh shut up, it will not.” Gavin hit the steering wheel and braked hard when he came up to a stop sign. The Android put a hand out in front of itself to brace itself against the dashboard, despite the seatbelt it wore.  _ Wuss.  _ Gavin thought. 

“Detective I think you should allow me to drive. You’re clearly upset right now.”

“Will you shut the fuck up? I’m not  _ upset _ . I’m beside myself because somehow I got paired with a plastic prick like you! And I’m driving plenty fine!”

“You’re going 15 over the speed limit in a residential neighborhood…”

Gavin flicked on the lights and siren. He ran through the next two stop signs and he cut the next corner much faster than was probably safe. “Yeah? So fuckin’ what. We’ll be at our next destination that much faster,”

“That doesn’t make it any better.” the Android said. “Please drive the speed limit before I pull the emergency brake and have to force you out of the driver seat.”

Gavin shot a glare over at the Android and once he was out of the residential area, he stepped on the gas and went faster. The Android looked around and behind them before it grabbed the handbrake below the middle console and yanked it up. The car screeched to a stuttering halt and skid. Gavin was sent forward, his face smashing into the steering wheel, and he instantly knew he had opened up that old scar across his nose once again. Wouldn’t be an  _ old  _ scar anymore.

“Are you trying to kill yourself or someone else, detective Reed?” the android asked. Damn, it even  _ sounded _ disappointed. 

Gavin groaned and picked his head up slowly.  _ Fuck.  _ His face was already throbbing in pain, and he felt the thick streams of blood trail down his face. He touched at his busted and most likely broken(again) nose and he grimaced. “What. The. Fuck.” He punctuated angrily. “You could have fucking killed me or something!” He reached to backhand the Android, but it caught his wrist. 

“I was 91% positive nothing fatal would have happened to you or anyone else that could have been around, Detective.” It said and it pushed Gavin’s hand away from itself. It placed its hand on the back of his seat and gave him a stern look with furrowed brows, thin lips and set jaw. “I told you I was going to pull the brake, didn’t I? That was your opportunity to slow the car down, but you didn’t take it,”

Gavin grimaced and wiped at his bloody face. Well wasn’t this just fucking wonderful? He spit out blood that had trickled into his mouth onto his pants and he wiped his hands off on them. Thankfully they were dark washed jeans, so once the blood dried up, it would hardly be noticeable on them. “I’m not going to listen to a fucking android…” Gavin mumbled._ Fuck _his face fuckin’ hurt. He took the handbrake off, and the lights and siren too. People were probably out there thinking than an unmarked car had been stolen, and no doubt this would inevitably get back to Fowler. 

“You only needed to listen to me that once.” the Android said and it sunk back into its seat. “There’s a pharmacy down the street. We can get you patched up there.”

Gavin kept his mouth shut until they pulled into the pharmacy’s parking lot. He put the car in park and the Android got out. 

“Whoa whoa whoa, where are you going, you plastic bastard?” Gavin said after him. He opened his door and pushed himself out, but his head was seriously hurting.  _ Fuck.  _ Maybe he had a concussion too...

The Android looked at him and walked over. It placed its hands on his shoulders and pushed him back into the car. “Sit. I’m more than capable of getting you what you need.” It said calmly. “You wouldn’t happen to have a hat would you?”

Gavin blinked blearily and grimaced at the Android. His--  _ its _ hands were still on his shoulders, ensuring that he stayed down. He would have swatted the Android’s hands off of him if the Android hadn’t suddenly leaned over him, its chest nearly pressing into his face-  _ the bastard- _ and it reached past him to the back seat, where Gavin had a beanie laying on the back seat.

He-- It-  _ whatever _ \- moved away and put the beanie on its head and pulled it down just enough to cover the LED on the side of its temple. “I’ll be right back, Detective.”

Gavin just hummed in response and watched it walk into the pharmacy. He wouldn’t admit that he just noticed how nice and long the Android’s legs really were, or how pleasantly broad its shoulders were… Elijah and his stupid fuckin’ android fetish-- he didn’t have to make them pleasent to look at from the backside… He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, leaning his head back against the headrest.  _ Fuckin’ Androids… _

Gavin wasn’t sure how long he had his eyes closed before he finally heard a “Detective Reed?”. Gavin blinked his eyes open and peered at the Android. It stood next to the open car door with a first aid kit in its hands. He glared at it. “What?”

“I think you and I should trade spots, don’t you think? Or you could lay in the back seat if you’d like…”

“Why the fuck would I do that…” Gavin grumbled. He climbed out of the driver's seat and walked over to the passenger’s side, and the Android followed behind him, setting the opened kit on the dashboard as it held a cotton rag and little bottle of rubbing alcohol. Gavin climbed in and reached for the bottle and rag. “I’ll take that. How about you drive us to Detroit’s animal care and control…” he said as he took the bottle and rag from the Android’s yielding hands.

“Is that where our potential witness is?”

“Noooo,” Gavin drawled, wincing at the pain as he blotted at the gash across his nose in the mirror. “I wanted to adopt another fuckin’ cat--  ** _Of course_ ** that’s where our next potential witness is, dumbass… Now get in the fuckin’ car and let's go.” Gavin closed his own door and continued to clean up his face. The alcohol burned like hell, but he was over it within a minute. He could only imagine what would go through Trevor’s head at his sight of him with a bloody and busted face.

Fifteen minutes later and they were outside of the animal shelter. Gavin had his face half-way patched up, with a bandage taped over his nose, and he got most of the bleeding to stop. He was about to turn to the Android before it caught him off guard.

“No, I’m not staying in the car…” It said as if it knew exactly what he was about to say. To be fair, it had to be pretty predictable that he  _ was _ going to say exactly that.

“The fuck you are! You can’t just be going up to people and be saying ‘Hi, I’m an android’ right now. You’re gonna make people go apeshit-”

The Android blinked at him. It was still wearing his beanie, and honestly, it looked pretty good in it, kinda his type if he was into soulless plastic assholes made by his billionaire douche half-brother. It looked much more human with its LED safely hidden under the black knit. The Detroit Police Academy Emblem that was sewn onto the right temple helped hide the little blue light even better. 

“I have a suggestion, then; or a proposal, if you will,” The Android started. “Give me a name and the android thing becomes less of a problem.”

Gavin stared at the Android and thought it over for a moment. It wouldn’t be too bad to walk in with another man at his hip and pretend that he  _ moved on _ , but Gavin himself was a bad liar, and twice as bad of an actor. Trevor wouldn’t buy it if Gavin and the Plastic Prick couldn’t sell it; Plus, it would probably be seen more as a dick move than anything else, especially if Tina ever caught wind of it. “You told me earlier Cyberlife didn’t give you a name because it might cause a deviancy issue with your software, or whatever...”

“It doesn’t have to be anything permanent. Just for the time and the place if it can help us with our investigation.”

Gavin shook his head and quickly shoved any more ideas and further consideration out of his head. “No. Nope. I can’t get roped into this shit. I’m not giving you a name.” he opened the door and climbed out, bending down for one more final say before shutting the door. “Stay. In. The. Car.”

Too late. The car was shut off and the Android climbed out from the other side. “I’m sorry Detective, but I’m not going to let you prevent me from doing my job, and my job is to follow and assist you.” It headed towards the door of the shelter and opened it. “After you,”

Gavin stuck his tongue out and clamped his teeth down on it. This dude was a real pain in the ass. How much more could he argue? Especially against an android? Of course the Android would win this fight. “You know, I thought you were supposed to listen to your superiors? You goin’ deviant or whatever already?”

“To answer your question, yes, I do listen to certain  _ headmen  _ if you will, but that’s not you.” The android said with a rather cheeky looking smile. “And I can assure you I’m not  _ deviant _ . If I were, I would have self-destructed on the spot the moment my software detected it.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “ _ Fuck you _ … Not your superior my ass… Whatever- whatever it doesn’t matter as long as you listen to me while we’re inside,”

The Android’s smile widened brightly. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

Honestly, that face shouldn’t have won him over so easily, but he kinda didn’t feel like arguing the matter any further either. Besides, he could use this to his advantage, so back to idea number 1 it was. He walked over and stopped beside the android before going through the open door. “You want a temp name, plastic prick? It’s Connor. Follow my lead and don’t say anything until I prompt you to, capeesh?”

**Author's Note:**

> Fowler's letter: 
> 
> What I’m happy to say goodbye to is the pain that I know you are no longer suffering with, my dear friend. The hardships you’ve had ceased to be, and for once I think maybe even your heaviest demons have been laid to rest. It’s hard to believe. Both you and I had our doubts that they would ever go away but you proved me wrong when you took your own life today… I’m in no way happy over this news but for a brief second I think I felt relief for you. Is that the wrong way to feel? Or would you be pleased to know that’s what I felt for you? Knowing that you would no longer have to face the tragedies in our world today, with the fragile mind you started to hold… I also felt relief when I thought of you reuniting with your little boy, Cole. If that was a possibility where you are now, I don’t know, but I hope so. For you, I truly hope so...
> 
> We’ve had our differences from time to time but I had your back. I always would have had your back. -Jeff.
> 
> ___
> 
> Yes... in this house we believe Fowler and Hank were a thing- at least one point in time. ☺ I like to headcanon that Jeffrey and Hank grew up in the same neighborhood and that Jeff developed deep romantic feelings for Hank in their younger years, but of course, with the angst of them just not working out in the end... Though Jeff's feelings for Hank never /really/ went away.
> 
> P.S. If you know me, then you know I have a tendency to drop things, even fics I love dearly, so if that happens to this fic and you enjoyed reading what's been posted so far, and a new chapter hasn't been posted in more than a few months, then I'm truly sorry for having wasted your time! :( I try my best to try and give my stories the conclusions they deserve, but work-life and depression typically nab me before I have the will to finish anything. 
> 
> Heres to hoping this is one I can finish before it's too late 😩 
> 
> I'm aiming for at least 6 chapters, and so far I have one and a half ! (as of 24/08/2019)
> 
> Thanks for reading and for your patience!
> 
> Tumblr: dumb-birdd.tumblr.com


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